Youthwork resources

Everything you need to develop your work with young people

On these page you will find links to other youth services and organisations, Catholic teaching aids, social action charities and local youth retreat centres. Each is included to assist you with the various facets of your ministry.

Youth club leaders should also visit the youth clubs section of this website for information aimed specifically at youth clubs.

If you know of other sites that should be included, or if you have ideas and resources to share with other chaplains (book titles, for example) please let us know via our contact form.

Retreat Centres
	Walsingham House Retreats
	Walsingham House is the Brentwood Diocesan Catholic Youth Retreat Centre. This means that we are a house for young people, offering mid-week and weekend retreats for those in school years 6 to 13. Our programmes can cater for school, parish and youth groups.
	Abbotswick House of Prayer
	Abbotswick is a place of prayerful tranquillity, to rest for a day or longer. It is located just outside Brentwood, and is the Diocesan House of Prayer.
	Sion Community
	The Sion Community have a base in Brentwood, and offer training in apologetics and evangelisation. They are well respected nationally, and also have a youth team, based in Buckinghamshire, which can travel to schools for school Missions.
	For a list of other retreat centres in the UK please visit the Walsingham House links page.
Charities & Social Action Organisations
	Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
	CAFOD are the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and provide lots of aid to countries hit by disaster and famine, as well as long term support for projects to bring villages, towns and whole regions out of poverty. This site is full of interesting and challenging facts about the state of justice in our world.
	Big Deal: "CAFOD's site for young people"
	Big Deal is CAFOD’s web site strictly for young people. If you care about world poverty and want to do something about it, Big Deal is where you’ll find everything you need to know. Packed with stuff on taking action, money-raising ideas, true-life stories, the big issues that really matter, and much much more, Big Deal is the place to be.
	St Vincent de Paul (SVP)
	The St Vincent de Paul Society provide a variety of support and help to families in need, and have a vibrant youth section. This site will tell you how to start a local youth SVP group and give you contacts in your area.
	HCPT
	HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust for children with disabilities. Each year the Trust takes over 2,000 children to Lourdes - and the BCYS take part in this wonderful experience. This site tells the story of the pilgrimage in words and pictures.
	Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ)
	Catholics commited to bringing about Racial Justice.
	Brentwood Catholic Handicapped Fellowship (CHF)
	The CHF exist primarily to provide for the spiritual material and social needs of handicapped children and adults generally but particularly in the Diocese of Brentwood and to promote their general welfare by voluntary personal service and charitable gifts and the provision of facilities for their care and benefit generally.
Christian Teaching
	The Vatican
	The history and teachings of the Church, straight from Rome. This website has an excellent search engine for Papal teachings, documents, etc.
	Catechism of the Catholic Church
	The Catechism gives the definitive answers to many questions about the Catholic faith. The second edition was published in 1997, and this site contains the full text, plus a keyword search engine for easy access.
	Catholic Agency for explaining more about the Gospel (CASE)
	Catholic Agency for the Support of Evangelization. CASE offers a host of resources and ideas to help explain more about the teachings of Jesus. This website is regularly updated with fresh ideas.
	Association of Catholic Chaplains in Education
	The Association of Catholic Chaplains in Education provides support for chaplains involved in schools and Sixth Form Colleges by the organisation of annual meetings and professional development and training weeks.
	BibleGateway.com
	The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online -- all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
	The Bible Online
	This site gives access to over forty translations of the Bible, plus translations in other languages, all available to view online. There is also the option to download a version to your own computer, and some of the translations come with search engines.
Packaged Courses
	plugged-in - YOUTH CaFE
	"plugged-in - YOUTH CaFE is a fast moving and inspiring resource for teenage Catholics. The course is very flexible and can be used for youth groups, confirmation, schools and chaplaincy groups."
	Amazing Gift - An Instructional Mass
	"Fr Stan Fortuna, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal from New York, explains the elements of the Eucharist in an engaging and inspirational way. With testimonies from young people, this course will help many to unpack the riches of the Mass."
	Deeper: Why Jesus?
	"A fast-moving multi-media presentation designed for young adults. Through teaching and testimony it explains why Jesus came and how we can experience the effect of Him in our lives, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. With input from Fr Stan Fortuna, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, John Pridmore, an ex-gangster and now an international youth evangelist, young people from around the country, music, images and opportunities for prayer and discussion."
Christian Music
	CJM music and liturgy resources
	CJM features the work of Jo Boyce and Mike Stanley. This is a superb range of reflective and powerful music, with ideas for liturgies in which it can be used. Ideal for Masses with young people, and for prayer and worship sessions where there are few musicians, this site offers some excellent CDs.
National Youth Organisations
	National Youth Agency
	The National Youth Agency works with all those concerned with the development of young people, and is a resource for teachers working in PSHE and Citizenship, as well as for catechists and all those who want to develop their youth work skills. The website offers a wide range of training opportunities, plus links to agencies that may offer some funding.
General Resources
	Youth Ministry - Christian Youth Resources
	A wide range of ideas for sessions with young people - icebreakers and other games, plus more reflective material. Some content is better than others, but well worth a look to get some fresh ideas.
Vocations
	Brentwood Vocations Team
	The Brentwood Vocations Team aim to promote a culture of vocation amongst all the members of the Church. This site is intended to help people share information about what is happening in the brentwood diocese from a vocational point of view.
	Vocations Service
	Everything for anyone thinking about Priesthood - including prayers, questions to reflect on, and lots of contacts. Even if your thoughts are at very early stages, this site is worth a look to help discern God's will, and to give you opportunities to meet other people thinking in the same way that you are.
	free2become
	A group for young adults aged 18-38 discerning where next in life, including the possibility of religious vocation. Regular meetings in Essex and East London.
	Pastores Dabo Vobis – I will give you shepherds
	This is a letter from Pope John Paul II about the formation of priests; there are lots of excellent scriptural and other references which may be useful for school chaplains both for personal reflection and in terms of school leadership/values.
Professional Associations
	Professional Association of Catholic Youth Officers (PACYO)
	The Professional Association of Catholic Youth Officers. This is a very limited site, but does have contact details if you are not sure of the youth provision in your area.
	The Bloxham Project
	A training provider for school chaplains, offering a wide variety of courses and resources, all available through the website. This is an ecumenical initiative, covering chaplains working in a number of Christian schools around the country. There is a regular programme of speakers, with papers added to the website after a speech/conference.
Social Communities
	Xt3.com Christian Community
	This UK based inter-denominational community uses cutting edge technology to present a wide range of Christian interest articles, news, music and video clips, chat and games as well as info on upcoming Christian events.
	Project2030
	Project2030 offers a simple way for people in their twenties and thirties with some links to the Church to get together and support one another through various activities: social gatherings, walks, barbecues, pub lunches, masses, ceilidhs, as well as workshops, days away and overnight retreats.
The BCYS Abroad
	Lourdes
	Everything about the shrine in the Pyrenees where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, including a live web cam, so you can watch the BCYS abroad at Easter and Summer!
	World Youth Day 2008
	World Youth Day 2008 will be in Sydney, Australia, and the BCYS will be there! This site is regularly updated as more and more details are confirmed, and also offers plenty of WYD merchandise.